Netherworld – The Hermit (Digital/CD Album – Glacial Movements)
This new album by Alessandro Tedeschi—better known by his sonic alter ego, Netherworld—is a remarkable work. Quite by chance, thanks to his young daughter, he stumbled upon old recordings dating back more than twenty years. These were recordings he had all but forgotten. Upon rediscovering them and realizing that their atmosphere perfectly matched the dark, sombre period he had been going through in recent months, he decided to revisit and rework material that no one had ever heard before. You could quite rightly call these Netherworld’s earliest experiments.
Seven tracks were salvaged and restored. They fit seamlessly into the concept of Glacial Movements—Alessandro’s own label—leaving a profound, icy impression through their Ambient and Cinematic sound. We discover a Soundscape created—and, above all, inspired—by early expeditions to the North Pole. Distinctive field recordings echo through the metallic tones. You sense the imaginary presence of malevolent forces watching you, potentially pushing you towards a state of paranoia; you experience a sense of evil and an invisible presence that relentlessly pursues you. This effect is achieved simply through the power of the compositions, which, in my opinion, might well be hailed as Netherworld’s finest work. The sound is authentic and archaic, with deep, dominating tones that hit their mark with undeniable impact. It is hardly surprising, then, that the only track that failed to fully captivate me was the most ethereal one on the album.
When music becomes an expression of dark thoughts, an artist is often at their most inspired—a fact perfectly embodied by the evocative title, “The Hermit”. (Rating:8).
Listen to “Loneliness”:
About Netherworld
Netherworld is the moniker of Alessandro Tedeschi, an Italian ambient and dark ambient composer based in Rome. The project is released through Tedeschi’s own label Glacial Movements, which he founded in 2006; “The Hermit” marks the label’s 20th anniversary. Netherworld’s music draws on manipulated fragments of classical music and field recordings, including ice masses, aurora-related material and Arctic wind recordings. Before focusing on Glacial Movements, the project released music through labels including Fario, Angle Rec, Umbra and Taalem. “Eternal Frost”, recorded in 2004, was originally issued by Umbra in a hand-numbered edition of 99 copies and later appeared on Bandcamp in February 2022. The Glacial Movements catalogue includes “Mørketid” (2007), “Over The Summit” (2011) and “Alchemy Of Ice” (2013, Tedeschi’s tenth full-length release). In 2017, Netherworld collaborated with Eraldo Bernocchi on “Himuro” for the label’s Iceberg Series. “Algida Bellezza” followed in 2019, and Side-Line’s interview with Netherworld was built around that release. “Vanishing Lands” appeared in 2022 and the Bvdub collaboration “Equilibrium” in 2023. “The Hermit” returns to material recorded before Glacial Movements existed: seven tracks salvaged from deteriorated CD-Rs and Minidiscs recorded in 2004.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
